ASROCK Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 Series User manual

Version 1.0
Published June 2015
Copyright©2015 ASRock INC. All rights reserved.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this documentation may be reproduced, transcribed, transmitted, or
translated in any language, in any form or by any means, except duplication of
documentation by the purchaser for backup purpose, without written consent of
ASRock Inc.
Products and corporate names appearing in this documentation may or may not
be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used
only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to
infringe.
Disclaimer:
Specications and information contained in this documentation are furnished for
informational use only and subject to change without notice, and should not be
constructed as a commitment by ASRock. ASRock assumes no responsibility for
any errors or omissions that may appear in this documentation.
With respect to the contents of this documentation, ASRock does not provide
warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to
the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or tness for a particular
purpose.
In no event shall ASRock, its directors, ocers, employees, or agents be liable for
any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including damages for
loss of prots, loss of business, loss of data, interruption of business and the like),
even if ASRock has been advised of the possibility of such damages arising from any
defect or error in the documentation or product.
is device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
CALIFORNIA, USA ONLY
e Lithium battery adopted on this motherboard contains Perchlorate, a toxic substance
controlled in Perchlorate Best Management Practices (BMP) regulations passed by the
California Legislature. When you discard the Lithium battery in California, USA, please
follow the related regulations in advance.
“Perchlorate Material-special handling may apply, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate”
ASRock Website: http://www.asrock.com

e terms HDMI™ and HDMI High-Denition Multimedia Interface, and the HDMI
logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United
States and other countries.
Manufactured under license under U.S. Patent Nos: 5,956,674; 5,974,380; 6,487,535;
7,003,467 & other U.S. and worldwide patents issued & pending. DTS, the Symbol, &
DTS and the Symbol together is a registered trademark & DTS Connect, DTS Interactive,
DTS Neo:PC are trademarks of DTS, Inc. Product includes soware.
© DTS, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Who knew that at age 19, I would be a World Champion PC gamer. When I was 13, I actually
played competitive billiards in professional tournaments and won four or ve games o guys
who played at the highest level. I actually thought of making a career of it, but at that young
age situations change rapidly. Because I’ve been blessed with great hand-eye coordination and
a grasp of mathematics (an important element in video gaming) I gravitated to that activity.
GOING PRO
I started professional gaming in 1999 when I entered the CPL (Cyberathlete Professional
League) tournament in Dallas and won $4,000 for coming in third place. Emerging as one
of the top players in the United States, a company interested in sponsoring me ew me to
Sweden to compete against the top 12 players in the world. I won 18 straight games, lost
none, and took rst place, becoming the number one ranked Quake III player in the world
in the process. Two months later I followed that success by traveling to Dallas and defending
my title as the world’s best Quake III player, winning the $40,000 grand prize. From there
I entered competitions all over the world, including Singapore, Korea, Germany, Australia,
Holland and Brazil in addition to Los Angeles, New York and St. Louis.
WINNING STREAK
I was excited to showcase my true gaming skills when defending my title as CPL
Champion of the year at the CPL Winter 2001 because I would be competing in a totally
dierent rst person shooter (fps) game, Alien vs. Predator II. I won that competition and
walked away with a new car. e next year I won the same title playing Unreal Tournament
2003, becoming the only three-time CPL champion of the year. And I did it playing a
different game each year, something no one else has ever done and a feat of which I am
extremely proud.
At QuakeCon 2002, I faced o against my rival ZeRo4 in one of the most highly
anticipated matches of the year, winning in a 14 to (-1) killer victory. Competing at Quakecon
2004, I became the World’s 1st Doom3 Champion by defeating Daler in a series of very
challenging matches and earning $25,000 for the victory.
Since then Fatal1ty has traveled the globe to compete against the best in the world, winning
prizes and acclaim, including the 2005 CPL World Tour Championship in New York City for
a $150,000 rst place triumph. In August 2007, Johnathan was awarded the rst ever Lifetime
Achievement Award in the four year history of the eSports-Award for “showing exceptional
sportsmanship, taking part in shaping eSports into what it is today and for being the prime
representative of this young sport. He has become the gurehead for eSports worldwide”.
Fatal1ty Story

LIVIN’ LARGE
Since my rst big tournament wins, I have been a “Professional Cyberathlete”, traveling the
world and livin’ large with lots of International media coverage on outlets such as MTV,
ESPN and a 60 Minutes segment on CBS to name only a few. It's unreal - it's crazy. I’m living
a dream by playing video games for a living. I’ve always been athletic and took sports like
hockey and football very seriously, working out and training hard. is discipline helps me
become a better gamer and my drive to be the best has opened the doors necessary to become
a professional.
A DREAM
Now, another dream is being realized – building the ultimate gaming computer, made
up of the best parts under my own brand. Quality hardware makes a huge difference in
competitions…a couple more frames per second and everything gets really nice. It’s all about
getting the computer processing faster and allowing more uid movement around the maps.
My vision for Fatal1ty hardware is to allow gamers to focus on the game without worrying
about their equipment, something I’ve preached since I began competing. I don’t want to
worry about my equipment. I want to be there – over and done with - so I can focus on
the game. I want it to be the fastest and most stable computer equipment on the face of the
planet, so quality is what Fatal1ty Brand products represent.
Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel
e Fatal1ty name, Fatal1ty logos and the Fatal1ty likeness are registered trademarks of Fatal1ty, Inc., and are used
under license. © 2015 Fatal1ty, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.

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Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
Motherboard Layout
Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac
Intel
Z170
Ultra M.2
PCIe Gen3 x4
DDR4_B1 (64 bit, 288-pin module)
DDR4_A1 (64 bit, 288-pin module)
MPCIE1
WiFi-802.11ac
Module
PCIE1
USB 3.0
T: USB1
B: USB2
PS2
Keybo ard
/Mous e
HDMI
Top:
LINE IN
Cente r:
FRONT
Botto m:
MIC IN
Top:
RJ-45
USB 3.0
T: USB7
B: USB8
USB 3. 1
T: USB31_TA_1
B: USB31_ TC_ 1
CLRC
BTN1
USB 3.0
T: USB3
B: USB4
HDMI
DP_1
Optical SPDIF
ATX1 2V 1
CPU_ FAN 1 CH A_ FAN1
CHA_FAN2
USB 1_ 2
1
ATXPWR1
USB 3_ 5_ 6
HDLED RESET
PLE D PWR BT N
PANE L1
1
SATA3 _4 _5
SATA3 _1
SATA3 _0
SATA3 _3
SATA3 _2
128Mb
BIOS
1
CI1
1
SPEA KER 1
1
HD_AUDIO1

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M2_1

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Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
No. Description
1 ATX 12V Power Connector (ATX12V1)
2 CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1)
3 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1)
4 2 x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM Slots (DDR4_A1, DDR4_B1)
5 Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2)
6 USB 2.0 Header (USB1_2)
7 ATX Power Connector (ATXPWR1)
8 USB 3.0 Header (USB3_5_6)
9 SATA and SATA Express Connectors (SATA3_4_5)
10 Chassis Intrusion Header (CI1)
11 System Panel Header (PANEL1)
12 Chassis Speaker Header (SPEAKER1)
13 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_1)
14 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_0)
15 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_3)
16 SATA3 Connector (SATA3_2)
17 Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1)

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I/O Panel
No. Description No. Description
1 Antenna Ports 10 USB 3.1 Type-C Port (USB31_TC_1)
2 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port 11 Clear CMOS Switch
3 Optical SPDIF Out Port 12 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_3_4)
4 LAN RJ-45 Port* 13 HDMI Port
5 Line In (Light Blue)** 14 DisplayPort 1.2
6 Front Speaker (Lime)** 15 HDMI Port
7 Microphone (Pink)** 16 Fatal1ty Mouse Port (USB3_1)
8 USB 3.0 Ports (USB3_78) 17 USB 3.0 Port (USB3_2)
9 USB 3.1 Type-A Port (USB31_TA_1)
89111316
1 2
15
3
7
6
5
4
14
12
1017
* ere are two LEDs on each LAN port. Please refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications.
Activity / Link LED Speed LED
Status Description Status Description
O No Link O 10Mbps connection
Blinking Data Activity Orange 100Mbps connection
On Link Green 1Gbps connection
ACT/LINK LED
SPEED LED
LAN Port

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Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
** To congure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it is required to use an HD front panel audio module and enable the multi-
channel audio feature through the audio driver.
Please set Speaker Conguration to “7.1 Speaker”in the Realtek HD Audio Manager.
Function of the Audio Ports in 7.1-channel Conguration:
Port Function
Light Blue (Rear panel) Rear Speaker Out
Lime (Rear panel) Front Speaker Out
Pink (Rear panel) Central /Subwoofer Speaker Out
Lime (Front panel) Side Speaker Out

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WiFi-802.11ac Module and ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna
WiFi-802.11ac + BT Module
is motherboard comes with an exclusive WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + BT v4.0
module that oers support for WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac connectivity standards and
Bluetooth v4.0. WiFi + BT module is an easy-to-use wireless local area network
(WLAN) adapter to support WiFi + BT. Bluetooth v4.0 standard features Smart
Ready technology that adds a whole new class of functionality into the mobile
devices. BT 4.0 also includes Low Energy Technology and ensures extraordinary
low power consumption for PCs. e 2T2R WiFi solution sets a WiFi high speed
standard and oers max link rate up to 867Mbps.
* e transmission speed may vary according to the environment.
ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna
Antenna Ports
WiFi + BT Module

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Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
Chapter 1 Introduction
ank you for purchasing ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
motherboard, a reliable motherboard produced under ASRock’s consistently
stringent quality control. It delivers excellent performance with robust design
conforming to ASRock’s commitment to quality and endurance.
In this documentation, Chapter 1 and 2 contains the introduction of the
motherboard and step-by-step installation guides. Chapter 3 contains the operation
guide of the soware and utilities. Chapter 4 contains the conguration guide of
the BIOS setup.
1.1 Package Contents
• ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series Motherboard (Mini-ITX Form Factor)
• ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series Support CD
• 1 x I/O Panel Shield
• 2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
• 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna
• 1 x Screw for M.2 Socket
Because the motherboard specications and the BIOS soware might be updated, the
content of this documentation will be subject to change without notice. In case any
modications of this documentation occur, the updated version will be available on
ASRock’s website without further notice. If you require technical support related to
this motherboard, please visit our website for specic information about the model
you are using. You may nd the latest VGA cards and CPU support list on ASRock’s
website as well. ASRock website http://www.asrock.com.

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1.2 Specications
Platform • Mini-ITX Form Factor
• 8 Layer PCB
• 4 x 2oz copper
• High Density Glass Fabric PCB
CPU • Supports 6th Generation Intel® CoreTM i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/
Celeron® Processors (Socket 1151)
• Digi Power design
• 8 Power Phase design
• Supports Intel® Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
• Supports Intel® K-Series unlocked CPUs
• Supports ASRock BCLK Full-range Overclocking
Chipset • Intel®Z170
Memory • Dual Channel DDR4 Memory Technology
• 2 x DDR4 DIMM Slots
• Supports DDR4 3400+(OC)*/3200(OC)/2933(OC)/2800(OC)
/2400(OC)/2133 non-ECC, un-buered memory
* Please refer to Memory Support List on ASRock's website for
more information. (http://www.asrock.com/)
• Max. capacity of system memory: 32GB
• Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Prole (XMP) 2.0
• 15 Gold Contact in DIMM Slots
Expansion
Slot
• 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1: x16 mode)
• 1 x Half-size Mini-PCI Express Slot: For WiFi + BT Module
• 15 Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)
Graphics • Intel® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs
can be supported only with processors which are GPU
integrated.
• Supports Intel® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals : Intel® Quick
Sync Video with AVC, MVC (S3D) and MPEG-2 Full
HW Encode1, Intel® InTruTM 3D, Intel® Clear Video HD
Technology, Intel® InsiderTM, Intel® HD Graphics 510/530

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Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
• Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 12
• Max. shared memory 1792MB
• ree graphics output options: 2 x HDMI ports and
DisplayPort 1.2
• Supports Triple Monitor
• Supports HDMI with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K
(4096x2304) @ 24Hz
• Supports DisplayPort 1.2 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K
(4096x2304) @ 24Hz or 4K x 2K (3840x2160) @ 60Hz
• Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and
HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI Ports (Compliant
HDMI monitor is required)
• Supports Accelerated Media Codecs: HEVC, VP8, VP9
• Supports HDCP with HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports
• Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with HDMI
and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports
Audio • 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek
ALC1150 Audio Codec)
* To congure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it is required to use an HD
front panel audio module and enable the multi-channel audio
feature through the audio driver.
• Premium Blu-ray Audio support
• Supports Surge Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)
• Nichicon Fine Gold Series Audio Caps
• TI® NE5532 Premium Headset Amplier (Supports up to 600
Ohm headsets)
• Supports DTS Connect
LAN • Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
• Giga PHY Intel® I219V
• Supports Wake-On-LAN
• Supports Lightning/ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike
Protection)
• Supports Energy Ecient Ethernet 802.3az
• Supports PXE

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Wireless
LAN
• Supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
• Supports Dual-Band (2.4/5 GHz)
• Supports high speed wireless connections up to 867Mbps
• 2 antennas to support 2 (Transmit) x 2 (Receive) diversity
technology
• Supports Bluetooth 4.0 / 3.0 + High speed class II
Rear Panel
I/O
• 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
• 2 x HDMI Ports
• 1 x DisplayPort 1.2
• 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM1142)
(Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM1142)
(Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 5 x USB 3.0 Ports (Intel® Z170) (Supports ESD Protection
(ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 1 x Fatal1ty Mouse Port (USB 3.0) (Supports ESD Protection
(ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED
LED)
• 1 x Clear CMOS Switch
• HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone
Storage • 6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors by Intel® Z170, support
RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid
Storage Technology 14 and Intel Smart Response
Technology), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
• 1 x SATA Express 10 Gb/s Connector*
* Support to be announced
* If M2_1 is occupied by a SATA-type M.2 device, SATA3_4,
SATA3_5 and the SATA function of SATA_EXP0 will be dis-
abled.
• 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket, supports M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module
and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)
* Supports ASRock U.2 Kit

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Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
Connector • 1 x Chassis Intrusion Header
• 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 2 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Con-
trol)
• 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
• 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connec-
tor)
• 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
• 1 x USB 2.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports
ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
• 1 x USB 3.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports
ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
BIOS
Feature
• 128Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI sup-
port
• ACPI 1.1 Compliant wake up events
• SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support
• CPU, GT_CPU, DRAM, VPPM, PCH 1.0V, VCCIO, VC-
CPLL, VCCSA Voltage Multi-adjustment
Hardware
Monitor
• CPU/Chassis temperature sensing
• CPU/Chassis Fan Tachometer
• CPU/Chassis Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by
CPU temperature)
• CPU/Chassis Fan multi-speed control
• CASE OPEN detection
• Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore, GT_CPU,
DRAM, VPPM, PCH 1.0V, VCCIO, VCCSA
OS • Microso® Windows® 10 64-bit / 8.1 64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-
bit
* To install Windows® 7 OS, a modied installation disk with
xHCI drivers packed into the ISO le is required. Please refer to
page 156 for more detailed instructions.
* For the updated Windows® 10 driver, please visit ASRock’s
website for details: http://www.asrock.com

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Certica-
tions
• FCC, CE, WHQL
• ErP/EuP Ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)
Please realize that there is a certain risk involved with overclocking, including
adjusting the setting in the BIOS, applying Untied Overclocking Technology, or using
third-party overclocking tools. Overclocking may aect your system’s stability, or
even cause damage to the components and devices of your system. It should be done
at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for possible damage caused by
overclocking.
* For detailed product information, please visit our website: http://www.asrock.com

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Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
is is a Mini-ITX form factor motherboard. Before you install the motherboard,
study the conguration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard ts into it.
Pre-installation Precautions
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components
or change any motherboard settings.
• Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard
components. Failure to do so may cause physical injuries and damages to motherboard
components.
• In order to avoid damage from static electricity to the motherboard’s components,
NEVER place your motherboard directly on a carpet. Also remember to use a grounded
wrist strap or touch a safety grounded object before you handle the components.
• Hold components by the edges and do not touch the ICs.
• Whenever you uninstall any components, place them on a grounded anti-static pad or
in the bag that comes with the components.
• When placing screws to secure the motherboard to the chassis, please do not over-
tighten the screws! Doing so may damage the motherboard.
Chapter 2 Installation

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2.1 Installing the CPU
1. Before you insert the 1151-Pin CPU into the socket, please check if the PnP cap
is on the socket, if the CPU surface is unclean, or if there are any bent pins in the
socket. Do not force to insert the CPU into the socket if above situation is found.
Otherwise, the CPU will be seriously damaged.
2. Unplug all power cables before installing the CPU.
1
2
A
B

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Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Series
4
5
3

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Please save and replace the cover if the processor is removed. e cover must be
placed if you wish to return the motherboard for aer service.